The past few years have been infamous for the rise of digitally native, unicorn startups that raised huge amounts of cash before falling back to earth. Today, the digitally native startup lives on but with a better, more strategic way to grow. While still consumer-obsessed, many have learned to follow a more sustainable path to growth.

Fintech company, Lively, did just that. Founded by two childhood friends, Alex Cyriac and Shobin Uralil, the startup offers modern Health Savings Accounts (HSA) that don't carry any fees for consumers, are easy to understand, and come with a much wider range of investment options than traditional HSA providers.

"We believe the product and consumer experience should come first," says Cyriac. "Unlike a lot of companies in our industry, we don't charge consumers for anything. We make everything simple, and when you reach out to support, you get a response right away... If you Google us, that's what people talk about."

In fairness, the company's path to success is partly due to its presence in the fast-changing healthcare industry. But Lively has also made a number of smart, strategic decisions. As a result, its success offers something of a case study for companies that take the landscape that is given to them, rather than just applying a set of preconceived "best practices" that may not work for their market situation.